on Wednesday highlighted that Peru is the world's fourth largest exporter of ginger (kion) —after China, Thailand and India.
It must be noted the South American country exported 23,400 metric tons of ginger during 2019 (US$41.5 million). The corresponding production came mainly from Junin region.
Mincetur indicated that said shipments increased 137% last April, accumulating a sustained growth of 168% in the first quarter of 2020.
According to the ministry, the good performance was due to higher sales to countries such as Spain (529%), the Netherlands (255%) and the United States (124%) —the latter two being the world's largest ginger importers.
In that period, 71 Peruvian companies exported ginger to 18 world markets, that is, a 25% increase compared to last year.
As is known, ginger —which is rich in antioxidants in addition to its gastronomic use— is known for strengthening the immune system. This reason is likely to explain the increase in consumption to face the current scenario characterized by the
COVID-19 pandemic.